The invention concerns a method of and apparatus for controlled closure of at least one clip around a filling material-free plait portion of a tubular casing at a filling material portion enclosed by the casing, wherein the at least one clip is closed with at least one closure device and wherein successive filling material portions are successively filled with a moved product flow of the filling material and in that operation the casing is withdrawn from a casing supply.
To control the operation of fitting the clip it is known to use a filling stop signal for the filling machine or a length abutment that is triggered by the filling material portion being formed, in particular a sausage product.
In comparison, the object of the invention is to provide a method and an apparatus of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, in which even in a continuous filling operation exact placement of the clip is achieved without adversely affecting the continuous filling operation.